A letter from the undocumented in Ireland to the undocumented in the US

The undocumented migrant leaders of the Justice for the Undocumented campaign have been following recent political developments in the US closely, and were moved to write to the undocumented in the US to send a message of solidarity and hope ahead of St Patrick's Day. The letter is below, in English and Spanish.

To you, the undocumented people of the United States,

We know your struggle. We feel your pain. We understand only too well the fear you live with.

Being undocumented – staying undocumented – is not an easy life to live. Missing celebrations, missing funerals, missing your family every single moment of every day. Living in constant fear of deportation, of that knock on the door, that inspector on the bus as you go to work. Putting up with abuse at work because you can’t complain.

We know why you do it. The lives you live in America, we live in Ireland.

We know the journey of hope all migrants go on, uprooting yourself, stepping into the unknown, working for a better future for you and your family. We know the sacrifices you have made and continue to make. We know the dark moments of doubt and the burden of this decision.

And we know that things were already difficult and now you have a president who thrives on fear and hate, who refuses to listen to reason, who doesn’t respect the contributions you have made to communities and society and the economy.

We want to say you are not alone in this time of trouble. Many are there with you and we are standing with you here tonight and every night. We care about you and your lives and your safety. We are right behind you. We have your backs.

We will not give up our shared struggle. We will keep fighting until undocumented people have a pathway to papers. We will remind our political leaders that we are still here.

But right now we extend a hand of friendship and a shoulder of strength to you – our fellow people, undocumented and documented, in the Irish community and in all communities in the USA this St. Patrick’s Day.

Stay strong. Keep hope alive. Don’t give up.

Beir bua agus beannacht (may victory and blessings be yours),

Undocumented migrants from the Justice for the Undocumented campaign, Ireland.

The letter will be read aloud at the Irish Stand event in New York on St. Patrick’s Day (Friday 17th) and at a candlelit rally on Dame Street in Dublin at 6.30pm on Thursday 16th March.

Justice for the Undocumented is a campaign made up of 1,400 undocumented migrants in Ireland and supported by the Migrant Rights Centre Ireland. There are thousands of undocumented people in Ireland, the vast majority in the exact same situation as those in the United States. The undocumented leaders who wrote this open letter are from the Philippines, Mauritius, Bolivia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Peru, Malaysia and India.